By Andrew Byrk, Friendship Community Group

“Is the cookie going to be here?” I was standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of cyclists in the middle of Butler street, walking their bikes between rows of tents. This was the 2nd time in a month I had gone hunting for the Eat & Park mascot, a walking cookie with eyes and a mouth. My son loves eating them and I wanted to see what would happen if he encountered a life-size version.
“His name is Smiley,” Smiley’s handler said, curtly. Then she addressed my son, strapped into a jump seat on my bike: “Smiley is all done for the day because of the rain. But do you want a cookie?” He wanted two cookies.
This was Open Streets 2025, the second and final such event of the summer. From around 55th in Lawrenceville to the terminal, Butler and Penn became a river of neon and kneepads on wheels. The event has been organized by Bike PGH since 2015. During Open Streets, the roads are closed to car traffic. In their place come bicycles, wheelchairs, scooters, and roller skates. It is, for a few hours, a utopian vision of Pittsburgh – so long as your utopia has room for detours and scraped knees.
After completing the route I returned to my starting point on Butler and 51st, catty corner to the Sunoco. Emilee Renk, a Friendship resident since 2021, was sitting on the sidewalk and estimating attendance at the event. She is a chemist, mom, and the founder of Friendship Livable Streets, Bike PGH’s newest neighborhood chapter. Not least of all she is my wife of 6 years. She hopes to bring a small dose of Open Streets’ vision to Friendship.
Emilee became a stay-at-home mom in 2025, and shortly after acquired a cargo e-bike for hauling our son around the East End for “all those trips that are too long to walk, but too short to take the car.” This includes trips to Lawrenceville for the somewhat fancier cookies on offer at La Gourmandine, which don’t have names or eyes, and never go on break.
Emilee says becoming a parent was the catalyst for cycling. It also motivated her to found Friendship Livable Streets [FLS]. “There have been a couple of incidents where myself, my son, or neighbors have been nearly hit. It got to a point where it was unacceptable. We needed to do something.” She says Friendship is “the gem of the East End” for walking and cycling but wants to see improvements to safety.
A dozen Friendshippers came to the FLS inaugural meeting in July 2025 to discuss Penn Avenue Phase 2, the Negley safety corridor project, and proposed a happy hour. Lively discussion was cut off by the bell – over the intercom, the librarian announced that CLP East Liberty would be closing in 15 minutes.
FLS is conducting a survey and speed study on Coral Street to engage DOMI around road safety. Additionally, FLS is collaborating with the Montessori Bike Bus. Bike buses are organized group bike rides to school. “FLS will serve as crossing guards!” Emilee told me, and her shoulders shimmied a little – something she does when she’s excited.
FLS is hosting a happy hour at Two Frays on September 26th at 6pm. For anyone who would like to join, or learn more about FLS’ pedestrian and cycling advocacy, their next meeting is October 16th at 7pm. For information email friendshiplivablestreets@gmail.com.